Structural toy



Sept. 24, 1946. E. M. RQAcH 2,498,272

STRUCTURAL TOY I Filed March 5, 1945 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. M. ROACH STRUCTURAL TOY Sept 24, 1946.

Filed March 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 24, 1946 fier I linis Aimlicati on; March 5,1945 eriai 58 7,9 99

7 Ci ai '1ii's'. (01 2 "This ihyehtidn relates to str'uctur'eil toiisfcqmr posed 9f behdable or flexible but tenet/"e 5 stiff sheet material su'ch as paperhoarder the like be' iied plastic film'er sheet material iri' clui din eompos'ites or lafn'ifiates th'erefo f, resin impregnette reu's sheet rrititerial, are the like, and whi'eh are generally gem filck'age'd in kits 6r Parts in but biit form ready t6 be assemble bye ehild, 1

3,121 eket rhple being t'p'y houses eiid .prtiiiht' or decorative components. v X It is an object of the presht ihtzerijt'idri t6 provide i ibve1 meets tot positidriirig and sup pd'fting each sheet mat r al we eie riients iria stable manner Ori e Siiigpoitihlg base, by'interl b'eking meens provided e'ri the supfiertin'g base afid the tb elemrit to be ereted thereon. n

Another object is t adapt e. cbfitairiibbk seetier! in which the sheet nfiat erilal toy elements are pake ged, with hovel means for interlocke in'giyengegihg the toy elerrlleh'ts ee that they may be secur ly bdsiti'oned thereon nd whereby the bee secti'ofi provides a r'e1egttvely rigid silppo 'rting base, and en es sembt qofribofieigt,

Andth er object is tb provide e, sheet'meteml supgertiiig' base fer the asserifily eta erection thereo n of toys of the cle'ss ij'ee ribed integral hih'ed. tabs adapted fer interldeking en ageme nt with a. {303 element, the ttlis being generally c'o'ritotire'd decoregi tq fprhg a grapl iic component of the intere'ngaged tby element, I

Other objects teiete to details 0i epris tructibn, etreneemeet of parts 'aiiq the advantages theredf which will be apparent tree; 21 cbnsuie atidn of the following specificati'dri iri'd diawii'igs, tivfiere- Fig. 1 is a perspective iriw (if e, toy hoiise in assembled and erected bo'sitibh illustratin g 'my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View Of th e mo'uhting bajse em ployed for the erection of the toy h'duse of..Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary perspective detail iew of the mountinghase of Fig. 2, showing (me of the dual-slotted tabs in elevated pdsitidri.

4 is a fragmentary se'tiph of th'eess'e inbly egg. the width of Fig. 1, illustrating in fronteletietiofi .t'dy

component in erecte eng'gififit with}. talbj.

Fig. 5 is Q View s'iimlaf' t0 that Of 4, ViWed on the line 55 thereof. l t

Fig. 6 is e fragmentar pe speetive detail view ofe lower comer of the toy housepf Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary p ian View Of supporting base Of nibdifi'e i dtaLiI. h v

Fig. 8 is ah elevat'ib'ri pf toy h'biis eieeted on the supportingbase o'f Fi g. 7.

. 2 t e fea'eiii ite j i tf fspii I T. t'rating a, standard empldyed in th' assembiy For the pti-rpos'e of supporting in firmly -erected pb's'itih', eb'eessbry to}; elements silh' as that illil'st'retfed at 12, the panel l3' is provided with one 51* more tah'ifi u't from the bahel l3 end rem'ainifig' ihteg'ral hi'lfgd en'gegemeht there- With' -t the i618. lihe lithe's t'ah's' being flirther pi'oviiie'd' viii'th a "shit I! adapted to extend arid. open upwardly when the tabs l5 are elevated 'fit'om the time of the pahel l3. Thebbjcts to be ehgagefiby tht'abs I5 "ere provided with 918101; 18' extending ana'opeziine to the loweitmargin'al r 1:1"Of'th sIQtS a'rid {8 a as to p' et'zid'e fim't'u'al frietio'nal engagement- 6? the iiitei'rig a gedi c'dihb'gpnts;

that is the tab, 15 315d the toy eilt eintlz e d to thereby cause 'eltch gthertd bemiitually pairimined iherectd position perpendicular to the faceof thepanel l3. I

In accordancewith the preferred. 'embqdiment of my inventieh; the tabs l5 are elfieratlly eentouredand c iecoratedcto provide grephi c; cernponents of the interengaged object. In the specific illustration; Figs. 4' and 5, the tab 15 may he decoratedto illustrate grass to blend both "With s irfiilar erase-like "decoration on the face panel I 3 and to harmonize with the supported objects such as the chicken l2.

The panel I3 is further provided withone or more tabs 20 cut therefrom and remaining in integral hinged engagement therewith at the fold line 2 I, these tabs 20 being further provided with the dual slots 22-22. The lateral end portions of the tabs 20 are contoured and decorated to generally indicate shrubbery so as to blend with and form a graphic component of the decorations contained on the face of the panel I3 and the supported toy house I II The toy house ll comprises a plurality of side walls 23 in side edgewise meeting angular relationship to each other. It will be understood that these side walls 23, which are supplied in knockdown form, may each be of a separate section and adapted to be joined at their side ed es by means of conventional tabs and slots, not illustrated. or in the alternativawhen for example a toy house is composed of four side walls, they may be subplied in a pre-joined form although collapsed. or they may be formed in contiguous panels requiring only two of them to be joined to form the hollow rectangle. The roof portion 24. may also in a conventional manner be supplied in separate knock down form and joined to the side walls 23 by means of tabs and slots, or any other desired or convenient means, npt illustrated. and not forming a part of the present invention.

For the purpose of supporting the toy house i l on the base panel 13. and for the purpose of enabling it to be erected thereon in firm. interlockin slotted engagement with the tabs 20. the side walls 23 are each provided with slots 25 o lim ted depth and width extending to their lower marginal edges adjacent their convergent side edges. An angularly arran ed pair of side walls 23 are engaged with a tab 20 in a manner whereby an adiacent pair of slots 25 receive a tab 20, and the dual slots 22 of the lat er en age the two convergent edges of a pair of side walls 23. and as illustrated. the tab 20 extends at an oblioue intersecting angle to the pair of side walls 23 and in firm, interlocking slotted engagement therewith.

In the illustration of the simple form of construction of Fig. 1, four such dual slotted tabs 20 may be provided, one for each corner of the house, and to thus form a firm interlocking support for the four side walls 23 of the toy house, only two being illustrated. The tabs 20 further harmoniously blend with the toy house to form a graphic component thereof, and of the surrounding surface of the base panel I 3 which is also decorated.

Referring to Figs. 7 to 11, a modified design of toy house generally indicated as 30, is shown in erected and supported position on the panel 31 Of an inverted paper board container box section. Similar to the form previously described, the side walls of the toy house, at an angular conjugation of two side walls 32, may be provided with downwardly opening slots 33 for interlocking slotted engagement with one or more dual slotted tabs 34, cut from and elevatable from the plane of the supporting panel 3|.

This panel 3| may be additionally provided with additional dual slotted tabs 35 for the purpose of interlocking in slotted engagement supplemental toy elements such as one or more angular standards or columns generally indicated as 36 and composed of the two face portions 31 which meet in side edgewise angular relationship to each other. The upper end of the standard 36 may be provided with a suitable tongue 38 for engagement in conventional manner with the canopy 39. The side panels 31 of the column 36 are each provided with slots 40 opening to their lower marginal edges adapted to receive a tab 35 and conversely to be received by the dual slots 4| of the tab 35 to provide firm, interlocking, slotted engagement with each other, and to maintain each other in mutually erected perpendicular relationship to the plane of the supporting base panel 3|.

For the purpose of providing intermediate support for the walls of the toy house 30, without necessarily requiring the obliquely extending dual slotted tabs in each of the four corners of the house, I may employ the decorative single slotted tabs 42 cut fromthe face of the panel 3! and in integral hinged engagement therewith at the fold line 43. These tabs 42, in the manner previously indicated, may be generally contoured and decorated to provide graphic components of the toy'assembly, in this case the tabs 42 having enlarged component portions 44 in the form of a simulated fence or gate. The tab 42 is formed with a slot 45 of limited width and depth for reception of the side wall 46 at the slot 41 thereof and for cooperative slotted interlocking engagement, the slot 41 opening to the lower marginal edge of the wall 46 at its conjugation with the side wall 32.

For the purpose of further illustrating the employment of a container box section for the supporting of objects thereon in interlocking slotting engagement by means of tabs adapted to form graphic components of the toy element and/or the supporting base, Fig. 12 illustrates an inverted container box section, the face panel 48 thereof being provided with a hinged tab 49 cut from the face panel 48 and elevatable from the plane thereof, this tab 49 being generally contoured and illustrated to simulate a wave and to form a graphic component of the face of the panel 48, which may be decorated to illustrate water, and to form a graphic component of the toy boat 50 supported on the panel 48, and in slotted interlocking engagement and mutually erected relationship with the wave tab 49.

It will be understood from the foregoing that various other forms of toys and toy components in addition to'those specifically illustrated, may

be mounted in firm interlocking slotted engagement on the face panel of a container box section in the manner and by the means hereinbefore described and illustrated.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a structural toy, a sheet material base panel and a sheet material toy component comprising two faces in side-edgewise meeting angular relationship to each other constructed and arranged to be supported in upright position on said panel, said toy element faces being each formed with a slot opening to their lower marginal edges adjacent their convergent side edges and said base panel comprising a tab in hinged engagement therewith and elevatable from the plane thereof for projection within an adjacent pair of said slots at an oblique intersecting angle to said faces.

v2. In a structural toy, a paperboard or the like bendable, relatively stiff sheet material base panel and a sheet material toy component comprising two faces in side-edgewise meeting angular relationship to each other constructed and arranged to be supported in upright position on said panel, said toy element faces being each formed with a slot opening to their lower marginal edges adjacent their convergent-side edges and said base panel comprising a tab in hinged engagement therewith and elevatable from the plane th'ereof formed with a pair of upwardly extendible slots, said tab being adapted to be projected within'an adjacent pair of slots in said element faces at an oblique intersecting angle to said faces for interlocking slotted engagement therewith.

3. In a structural toy, a paperboard or the like sheet material base panel and a sheet material toy component comprising two faces in sideedgewise meeting angular relationship to each other constructed and arranged to be supported in upright position on said panel, said toy element faces being each formed with a slot opening to their lower marginal edges adjacent their convergent side edges and said base panel comprising a tab in hinged engagement therewith and elevatable from the plane thereof formed with a pair of upwardly extendible slots, said tab being adapted to be projected within an adjacent pair of slots in said element faces at an oblique intersecting angle to said faces for interlocking slotted engagement therewith, said tab being shaped and decorated to form a, graphic complement to an intergaged toy component.

4. A structural toy comprising a supporting base composed of a paperboard container box section, a sheet material toy element in edgewise elevated position on the face thereof comprising a pair of surface panels in side-edgewise angular meeting relationship each formed with a downwardly opening slot adjacent their convergent side edges, and tab means cut from and in integral hinged engagement with the face of said box section and formed with a pair of upwardly opening slots, said tab means extending at an oblique intersecting angle to said pair of surface panels of the supported toy element and being in interlocking slotted engagement therewith.

5. A structural toy comprising a supporting base composed of a paperboard or the like container box section having dual-slotted tab means cut from and in integral hinged engagement with the face panel thereof for supporting in interlocked erected position thereon a toy house wall and the like elements having a pair of surface panels in side-edgewise meeting angular relationship, said surface panels being each formed with a downwardly opening slot adjacent their convergent side edges for joint reception and interlocking engagement with one of said tab means at an oblique intersecting angle to said faces.

EARL M. ROACI-I. 

